What is an End of Life Doula?

An End of Life Doula is a highly trained, non-medical professional who specializes in assisting individuals, and their families, as they transition to end of life. Offering spiritual, emotional and holistic support, the doula may help the client and their family find ceremony, celebration and closure during life's hardest moments.

Why Hire a Doula?

End of Life Doulas, or soul midwives, have been around since the dawn of time. Through the past century we have experienced a sanitation of death, erasing what we, as humans around the globe, have known and practiced for ages. People are awakening to the need of celebrating life from beginning to end, the need of processing death in individual ways, and recognizing that they need help during this process. Enter the modern doula. Your doula is trained for end of life care, transition rituals, grief support and more. The transition period in a loved one's life is time a family can never get back. The doula helps you make the absolute most of that time.

What Does an End of Life Doula Do?

Your EOLD is a mediator, a liaison and a facilitator of all things pertaining to the end of life. Her primary goal is the safety and comfort of the dying individual and their caregivers. Your doula may help mediate family visitations during the vigil period. She may facilitate grief and/or forgiveness processes. She is a liaison with your hospice team, helping to communicate clear and detailed information between both parties. She is a planner, assisting with everything from living funerals to eulogies and modern burial options. At The Ancestral Midwife we also add in a focus of a life review and legacy resolution. By wearing all of these hats, the doula alleviates much stress from the caregiver and family during this stressful yet precious time.

Why do you call yourself a "midwife"?

Although the modern definition of a "midwife" often refers to a medically trained, birthing professional, the ancient interpretation often refers to a wise woman who is a gate holder between worldly planes. Soul midwives take their roles in assisting in a transition very seriously. This is a calling. We are called to this work by a higher power. We hold space for souls to move with grace out of this life into the next.

"The greatest privilege of a human life is to become a midwife to the awakening of the Soul in another person." ~Plato